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To get to the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California, site of the first and second rounds of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament’s Midwest Region, from Freeland by car would take 38 hours, 21 minutes nonstop, according to MapQuest.

For Jim Carr, that 2,711-mile journey has taken much longer — like more than 20 years.

Plus, the Rhode Island assistant coach has experienced more ups and downs on his journey than the transcontinental trip across the Midwest and Great Plains through and over the Rocky Mountains and finally into the California capital would be for another voyager.

From his days as a youth and high school player at old Freeland High to coaching stops in the Ukraine and the Bahamas, high schools in York and Stroudsburg to colleges at every level from Fairleigh Dickinson and King’s to Rutgers and Rhode Island, and working as assistant director for Invitational Basketball Camps in the Poconos, basketball has been in Carr’s blood.

To get the chance to coach in an NCAA Tournament game for the first time against Creighton on Friday was truly a lifelong dream fulfilled. To win that game (84-72), well ...

“This is where everyone wants to get to,’’ Carr said by cellular phone Saturday from Sacramento, where No. 11-seeded Rhode Island was preparing for today’s second-round game against No. 3 Oregon. “To get out here and win a really tough first game against Creighton for the chance to play against a really good Oregon team for the chance to go the Sweet 16, is great.

“You sort of wish everyone you know in coaching and in basketball could experience it. I’ve been to a lot of great arenas and played against a lot of great teams over the years, but to get into the tournament, it doesn’t get any better than this.’’

Especially not with the indomitable spirit of the late Brayden James Carr watching over his father and the Rams on their march to the Atlantic 10 Tournament championship and during their gritty win over Creighton from above.

Jim and Natalie Carr’s son lost his courageous battle against a rare illness at only 2½ years old in May 2011. Yet only a few months later, his parents decided to turn an unspeakable tragedy into an incredible positive with the start of In Brayden’s Eyes, The Brayden Carr Foundation Inc., meaning the Carrs will always be near their son.

“He’s a major part of me every day,’’ said Jim Carr, who was at Rutgers when Brayden passed away, but the foundation that he helped create has touched many in the basketball community, including Hall of Fame coaches Larry Brown, Bob Hurley Sr., Rick Pitino, John Calipari and Jim Calhoun.

Danny Hurley, who played for his father at St. Anthony’s High School in Jersey City, N.J. and later starred at Seton Hall University, is the head coach at Rhode Island. He led the Rams to the Atlantic 10 tournament title last week by beating Saint Bonaventure, Davidson and VCU.

“Right after the (VCU) game, Danny grabbed me and mentioned Bray, ‘I think he was on a few peoples’ minds during this run,’’’ Carr recalled Saturday. “So many people reach out to me just about that... I don’t want to lose that. He’s a part of this and he always will be.’’

Carr said the past two weeks have been a whirlwind for the Rhode Island men’s basketball program and Rams’ fans, especially after URI won its first NCAA tournament game since 1998 on Friday.

“Winning the Atlantic 10 was tremendous and then we had to be able to make a quick turnaround to get out here for the first round. It seems like we haven’t stopped,’’ Carr said.

“We had an (NCAA tournament selection show) viewing party planned for a restaurant at the airport in Pittsburgh, but because everything ran so late and then getting over from the arena to the airport took a while, we had to watch the selection show at an airport bar, the last one before the security gate.

“When the official word came it was an accumulation of a lot of things, but by the same token you’ve got to turn it around really quickly and start getting ready for the next one.’’

That doesn’t mean Carr won’t pause to appreciate the many well wishes he’s received from people “back home.’’

“I’m still trying to return text messages from after we won the A-10s last Sunday,’’ he said. “Now there’s been a whole new wave of text messages after yesterday’s (Friday’s) win. ... The Freeland YMCA was a huge part in my life growing up, the biddy league, CYO, high school. The people have always been great to me.’’

Carr also draws inspiration from another local coach who left the Hazleton area long ago to pursue a lifelong dream, but the Hazleton area never really left him: Joe Maddon, manager of the World Series-champion Chicago Cubs.

“Joe grinded it out coaching minor league baseball for 20 years,’’ Carr said. “He then finally got his chance to show that he was the great coach that he has become and how great he is for the game of baseball and for coaching in general.

“When you see a guy like that do it and he’s from the same place and you grew up the same way, (it’s) inspiring,’’ he added. “I always love the way he points out that there are things that he learned from his youth coaches and from growing up in the area.’’

Those are lessons Maddon and Carr are always eager pass on to their players.

At Rhode Island, the Rams have bought in to the approach fostered by the younger Hurley, Carr and the rest of the coaching staff.

“We’re finally healthy,’’ Carr said. “When we first got here (in 2012), it wasn’t even a major rebuilding job, it was a start-up job, like a start-up company. We built a team that was in the preseason Top 25, but then we had some key injuries and we played a difficult schedule, the 12th toughest in the country. We had to do that for us to get an at-large (NCAA tournament) bid.’’

The Rams made that moot by winning the A-10 tournament.

Now they’re hoping to ride that momentum into the Sweet 16.

“We’re playing well,’’ Carr said. “We’ve had a different leading scorer the last four games. We have a senior in Hassan Martin leading the way who’s everything you want in a college basketball player.. ... Things can’t be any better right now.

“(Rhode island) is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been — 40 miles from the ocean... which is great for us as a family and my daughter, Lucia. There are always going to be coaches who aspire to do something different or be somewhere else, but I’m not like that after what I’ve been through. I just want to give her (Lucia) the best life possible... More than anything, I’m just happy and thankful to be in the position I’m in.’’

A Carr ride to remember for sure.

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